One month ago, the Britton Deerfield football team found itself in a predicament.

The Patriots had just suffered their third loss and needed to win out to achieve the six victories required for automatic playoff qualification.

No margin for error.

“I told the kids, ‘Now we have a four-game schedule, and we have to go 4-0,” BD coach DJ Lutz said. “We felt we were good enough to win four games in a row.”

BD has since posted three wins and can punch its playoff ticket in the regular-season finale Friday at Deerfield against Tri-County Conference opponent Morenci. The Patriots seek their second straight playoff appearance.

“We’re playing out best football,” Lutz said. “The kids have come to practice focused every week and have approached every game like a playoff game. We’re riding a pretty good high right now, so we need to keep it going.”

“We haven’t had our full starting offensive line since Week 2,” Lutz said. “We had injuries happen, and we never got a chance to see how that group would gel. Now we finally have everybody back, and the last couple of weeks they’ve been unbelievable.”

Merritt, who played receiver last season, has rushed for a county-best 1,278 yards and 14 touchdowns, while averaging 8.8 yards per carry.

The junior has gained 703 yards during the win streak, including 329 against Summerfield.

“He’s gotten better every time we give him the football,” Lutz said. “He does a really good job of jump-cutting in the hole. He reads his blocks really well. It takes a couple of guys to tackle him, and if he gets the corner, you might as well forget about it.”

BD defeated Morenci 20-15 last season in Week 9 to earn its first playoff berth since 2000.

Lenawee County Athletic Association teams Hudson and Blissfield sit on the postseason bubble with a 4-4 record. Both must win this week and hope to hear their name during Sunday's MHSAA Selection Show at 6 p.m. on Fox Sports Detroit.

Page 2 of 2 - The Week 9 schedule features seven other games involving Lenawee County teams.

Sand Creek (2-6, 2-4 TCC) at Clinton (8-0, 6-0): The Division 6 No. 4-ranked Redskins look to secure the outright TCC title and their first undefeated regular season since 1990. Sand Creek hopes to rebound from back-to-back losses. The Aggies have won four of the past five meetings against Clinton.

Tecumseh (7-1) at Carleton Airport (5-3): The Indians can generate momentum for the playoffs and boost their chances of hosting a pre-district game this week against Huron League member Airport. Tecumseh has lost eight straight meetings against the Jets.

Adrian (3-5) at Traverse City West (5-3): The Maples will make a 4 ½-hour trip to conclude their season at Big North Conference runner-up Traverse City West. Traverse City West won last year’s meeting against Adrian at Maple Stadium, 38-24.

Lenawee Christian (3-5) at Camden-Frontier (1-7): The Cougars and Redskins will meet for the second time this season. LCS beat Camden-Frontier 41-8 in Week 2. Last week, the Cougars compiled 74 points and 675 total yards in a victory over North Adams.

Madison (3-5, 1-5 TCC) at Whiteford (7-1, 5-1): The Trojans look to finish their season on a high note against Division 7 No. 7-ranked Whiteford. The Bobcats sit one game behind Clinton in the TCC standings. Madison seeks its first win over Whiteford since 1980.

Reading (7-1) at Addison (2-6): The Panthers look to close their season with a win over Big Eight Conference champion and Division 7 No. 9-ranked Reading. The teams will meet for the first time since 2004. Addison has won four of six all-time games against the Rangers.

Onsted (1-7, 1-5 LCAA) at Erie Mason (1-7, 1-5): The Wildcats hope to build on last week’s memorable win over Blissfield and finish the season strong. Onsted has won seven straight meetings against Erie Mason, including last year’s 22-6 triumph.